Departmental Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Attorney-General how many people were in possession of a security pass for the Law Officers' departments headquarters, including multi-site headquarters and not including staff or contractors, in each month since May 2010.

Edward Garnier: The information requested is detailed as follows.
	
		
			  Number of passes held by individuals who are not staff or contractors 
			  Treasury Solicitors Department HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate Serious Fraud Office 
			 May 2010 16 5 22 
			 June 2010 16 5 23 
			 July 2010 16 5 26 
			 August 2010 17 5 28 
			 September 2010 17 5 29 
			 October 2010 17 5 31 
			 November 2010 19 5 30 
			 December 2010 22 5 26 
			 January 2011 22 5 24 
			 February 2011 23 5 23 
			 March 2011 24 5 26 
			 April 2011 25 2 26 
			 May 2011 26 2 23 
			 June 2011 28 2 24 
			 July 2011 19 2 25 
			 August 2011 20 2 22 
			 September 2011 21 2 22 
			 October 2011 22 0 22 
		
	
	The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) only issues security passes to staff and contractors who need access to its headquarters' sites in London and York. All other people are issued with escorted visitor day paper passes, which are issued on the day of the visit and collected by security on exit.
	The Attorney-General's Office (AGO) does not keep a historical record of passes issued for its headquarters but there are currently 23 passes held by individuals who are not staff or contractors. 22 of these are held by staff of the Office of Budget Responsibility who share the building with the AGO.

Departmental Work Experience

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many unpaid and expenses-only internships (a) his Department and (b) each public body for which he is responsible employed in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

David Mundell: In the last 12 months, the Scotland Office itself has had one unpaid intern as part of the Whitehall Internship Programme. The only public body the Secretary of State for Scotland, the right hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Michael Moore), is responsible for is the Boundary Commission for Scotland, which had no unpaid or expenses-only internships in this period.

Renewable Energy

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has held with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the location of the proposed Technical Innovation Centre for renewable energy.

David Mundell: Decisions on the location of Technology Innovation Centres, including the Offshore Renewables TIC, are a matter for the Technology Strategy Board, following a process of engagement with business and the research base. Scottish businesses and universities have been actively involved in this programme, and in developing the three TICs announced to date, including High Value Manufacturing and Cell Therapy as well as Offshore Renewables. I am in regular contact with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), to stay appraised of progress on this and other matters.

Lighting: Complaints

Jo Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her Department has made of steps taken by local authorities to investigate complaints of light nuisance using powers under sections 79 and 80 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Richard Benyon: In November 2010, DEFRA published a report entitled 'An Investigation into Artificial Light Nuisance Complaints and Associated Guidance', which examined complaints and how local authorities had dealt with them since the introduction of artificial light as a Statutory Nuisance in 2006.
	Based on annual data, the study suggested that on average 12 light nuisance complaints were made per authority each year.
	The report showed that the principal resources used by local authorities to support the exercise of their statutory duties were the DEFRA statutory guidance (2006) and the Institute of Lighting Engineers guidance note on the reduction of obtrusive lighting (2005).

Water Abstraction

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what definition her Department uses of sustainable abstraction of water from rivers.

Richard Benyon: Sustainable abstraction is where water can be taken from rivers or from the ground without damage to the environment. The Environment Agency's assessment of damage will consider whether there is, or is a risk of, unacceptable environmental change and will include reference to relevant definitions across a range of environmental legislation, including:
	(A) The Water Framework Directive: for surface waters damage would be where there is an impact on the ecology to a level that it is causing failure against good ecological status/potential. For groundwater it would represent failure against good groundwater quantitative status.
	(B) The Habitats Directive: environmental damage is where the damage has a 'significant adverse effect on reaching or maintaining the favourable conservation status' of a protected species or habitat.
	(C) Sites of Special Scientific Interest: environmental damage is where there has been damage to the flora or fauna notified under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 or the EU protected species or natural habitats in the site, and that damage has an adverse effect on the integrity of the site.

Departmental Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what level of security vetting is required for the post of (a) head of communications, (b) deputy head of communications and (c) head of press office in his Department; and if he will list each person who has held these posts since May 2010;
	(2)  what level of security vetting is required for (a) grade six and seven, or equivalent, press officers and (b) ministerial private secretaries in his Department.

Andrew Robathan: Circumstances in which a post may require the holder to be the subject of national security vetting check are described in HMG Personnel Security Controls document which is available from the Cabinet Office website at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/hmg-personnel-security-controls
	It would not be appropriate to confirm which specific posts within a Department are the subject of vetting, as this could highlight who within a Department has access to sensitive material and be used for targeting purposes.
	The Ministry of Defence Head of Communications is the Director Media and Communication (DMC); this post is currently held by Mr Simon Wren who has been in post since March 2011. Prior to this Mr Nick Guit held the post since 2007. The Head of News is Mr James Shelley. DMC does not have a Deputy Head of Communications.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Anti-Social Behaviour Orders were issued in each local authority for each category of anti-social behaviour in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 31 October 2011
	These data are not available in the format requested and could be collated only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Pay

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officials in her Department and the bodies for which she is responsible earned more than (a) £65,000, (b) £95,000, (c) £140,000 and (d) £175,000 in the last year for which figures are available.

Damian Green: In line with the Prime Minister's commitment to improve transparency about how the Government spend public money, the Home Office and non-departmental public bodies are required to publish a snapshot of the Department on a rolling six monthly basis. This snapshot includes a remuneration report which shows the salaries of posts. We have collated this information into the relevant bands required and produced one figure for the overall Department, agencies and bodies. These figures show all employees which includes public servants, civil servants and non civil servants.
	
		
			 Table 1: Employees of the Home Office, its Executive agencies or the Non-departmental public bodies by salary band 
			 Question Salary bands Number of posts 
			 (a) £44,053 to £94,999 391 
			 (b) £95,000 to £139,999 50 
			 (c) £140,000 to £174,999 10 
			 (d) £175,000+ (1)8 
			 Total  459 
			 (1) Of these employees are from HMIC two from headquarters and one from EHRC. Notes: 1. This information identifies all posts, whether or not they are vacant. 2. These figures represent civil servants, public servants and non civil servants. 3. Some posts have been excluded for reasons of national security. 4. Full-time rate of pay or total pay includes base pay plus any contractual taxable allowances but excludes bonuses. 5. Employees on loan or secondment out of the body (where the organisation is not paying any of the salary) have been excluded from the exercise. 6. This information includes salaries with a minimum band of £44,053 but a maximum band of £72,986 to ensure all relevant salaries are captured. Source: Transparency Agenda Salary information published on the Home Office website.

Departmental Pay

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officials in her Department received a bonus in each year since 2007.

Damian Green: Non-consolidated performance payments are an integral part of staff reward package in the Home Office and its agencies. They encourage and reward high performance. As non-consolidated payments, they have to be re-earned each year and do not add to future pay bill costs, for example pension costs.
	The data in the table includes information from the Home Office (including the UK Border Agency), Identity and Passport Service and Criminal Records Bureau.
	One individual may receive a payment under one or more schemes. The data show the number of payments made, not the number of staff in receipt of payment. The payments relate to the performance year, with payment being made in the subsequent year.
	
		
			 Table A 
			 Performance year Payments made 
			 2007-08 15,326 
			 2008-09 14,148 
			 2009-10 15,981 
			 2010-11 8,857

Deportation: Offenders

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many foreign nationals convicted of offences in the UK and subject to multi-agency public protection arrangements have (a) been deported, (b) been permitted to remain in the UK and (c) successfully appealed against a deportation order;
	(2)  how many foreign nationals living in the UK are subject to multi-agency public protection arrangements; and what offences they have committed.

Damian Green: To establish how many foreign national offenders subject to multi-agency public protection arrangements are living in the UK, have been allowed to remain on human rights grounds and the type of offence committed in the UK would require cross referencing a large volume of electronic records, which would incur a disproportionate cost.
	As part of the Home Office, the UK Border Agency is not obliged to comply with any information request where the prescribed costs of supplying the information exceed £600. The £600 limit applies to all central Government Departments and is based on work being carried out at a rate of £25 per hour, which equates to 3.5 days work per request. Prescribed costs include those which cover the cost of locating and retrieving information, and preparing a response. They do not include considering whether any information is exempt from disclosure, overheads such as heating or lighting, or disbursements such as photocopying or postage.
	857 foreign nationals convicted of an offence subject to multi-agency public protection arrangements have been deported from the UK between October 2010 and September 2011.
	138 foreign nationals convicted of an offence subject to multi-agency public protection arrangements who have successfully appealed against deportation between October 2010 and September 2011.

Knives: Crime

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many incidents of knife crime by people under 18 years old were recorded in (a) North Wales and (b) Aberconwy constituency in each of the last four years;
	(2)  how many incidents of knife crime were recorded in (a) North Wales and (b) Aberconwy constituency in each of the last four years.

Nick Herbert: Data for selected offences involving the use of a knife or sharp instrument has been collected by the Home Office since April 2007. From this data, it is not possible to identify which offences specifically involved the use of a knife.
	Data is collected at police force area level only, so it is not available for Aberconwy constituency. Additionally, suspect data is not collected, so it cannot be broken down by suspect age.
	In 2007-08, North Wales police force recorded 111 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument for a select group of offences. The offences were: homicide, attempted murder, grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent, GBH without intent and robbery.
	In 2008-09 the offence coverage was expanded to also include actual bodily harm (ABH), threats to kill, sexual assault and rape offences. Therefore figures are not comparable with those offences recorded in 2007-08. In 2008-09, North Wales police force recorded 136 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument.
	The corresponding figure for 2009-10 was 100 offences.
	Data for homicides involving the use of a knife or sharp instrument for 2010-11 will be available at police force area level from January 2012. The total of other offences involving a knife or sharp instrument recorded by North Wales police in 2010-11 was 138 offences (as above, this figure comprises attempted murder, threats to kill, GBH, ABH, robbery, rape and sexual assault but excludes homicides).

Knives: Crime

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of knife crime were recorded in (a) North Kent and (b) Kent in each of the last four years.

Nick Herbert: Data for selected offences involving the use of a knife or sharp instrument has been collected by the Home Office since April 2007. From this data, it is not possible to identify which offences specifically involved the use of a knife.
	Data is collected at police force area level only, so it is not available for North Kent.
	In 2007-08, Kent police force recorded 332 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument for a select group of offences. The offences were: homicide, attempted murder, grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent, GBH without intent and robbery.
	In 2008-09 the offence coverage was expanded to also include actual bodily harm (ABH), threats to kill, sexual assault and rape offences. Therefore figures are not comparable with those offences recorded in 2007-08. In 2008-09, Kent police force recorded 556 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument. The corresponding figure for 2009-10 was 386 offences.
	Data for homicides involving the use of a knife or sharp instrument for 2010-11 will be available at police force area level from January 2012. The total of other offences involving a knife or sharp instrument recorded by Kent police in 2010-11 was 343 offences (as above, this figure comprises attempted murder, threats to kill, GBH, ABH, robbery, rape and sexual assault but excludes homicides).

World Athletics Championships

Mary Macleod: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what support his Department has provided for London's bid to host the 2017 World Athletics championships; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: My Department has worked closely with UK Athletics in developing their bid and has provided the necessary financial and security guarantees in its support.
	I personally represented the Government at October’s successful Evaluation Commission visit—during the party conference. I am visiting the IAAF tomorrow with Lord Coe, the bid President, and will be part of the team making the final bid presentation next Friday. The Prime Minister is also backing the bid.

Departmental Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what level of security vetting is required for the post of (a) head of communications, (b) deputy head of communications and (c) head of press office in his Department; and if he will list each person who has held these posts since May 2010;
	(2)  what level of security vetting is required for (a) grade six and seven, or equivalent, press officers and (b) Ministerial private secretaries in his Department;
	(3)  what level of security vetting is required for (a) special advisers and (b) Ministerial-appointed policy advisers in his Department; and if he will list each person who has held these posts since May 2010.

John Penrose: It would not be appropriate to list out details of individual staff vetting levels. All staff in the Department are vetted to an appropriate level, according to guidance set out in HMG Personnel Security Controls, which can be found on the Cabinet Office website at:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/hmg-personnel-security-controls
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/hmg-personnel-security-controls

Departmental Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many people were in possession of a security pass for his main departmental headquarters, including multi-site headquarters and not including staff or contractors, in each month since May 2010.

John Penrose: The information you have requested is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of security passes 
			 2010  
			 May 42 
			 June 42 
			 July 44 
			 August 46 
			 September 46 
			 October 46 
			 November 51 
			 December 51 
			   
			 2011  
			 January 53 
			 February 63 
			 March 63 
			 April 83 
			 May 83 
			 June 148 
			 July 202 
			 August 219 
			 September 229 
			 October 233 
		
	
	The increase from June 2011 is because of the occupation of the 5th and 6th floors in Cockspur street, the Department's main offices. Private tenants who work within the Department's main building in Cockspur street do not have access to the Department's occupied floors.

Tourism

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment his Department has made of the attractiveness of the UK as an international tourist destination.

John Penrose: Results from the recently released Anholt Nations Brand Index Survey 2011 reveal that the UK was ranked third out of 50 nations on the overall index, one place higher than was the case in 2010. The survey relates to arts and culture, heritage and historic environment, natural beauty, city life and urban attractions, and the welcome provided to overseas visitors.

Disability Living Allowance

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants of disability living allowance had a learning disability (a) as a main disabling condition and (b) in addition to a main disabling condition which was not a learning disability in each year since 2008.

Maria Miller: The information is as follows:
	
		
			 Disability living allowance cases in payment where the main disabling condition or secondary condition  (1)   is learning difficulties 
			  All Learning difficulties as main disabling condition Learning difficulties as secondary disabling condition 
			 February    
			 2011 3,192,100 379,900 46,600 
			 2010 3,137,700 353,600 31,300 
			 2009 3,044,000 327,400 (2)— 
			 2008 2,945,600 293,500 35,200 
			 (1) In October 2008 the system used to record disabling condition for DLA recipients changed. Prior to October 2008 disabling conditions were recorded relating to care and/or mobility depending on entitlement to these components, and main and secondary disabling conditions were derived for the purposes of statistical reporting. After October 2008 a primary and secondary code were recorded. Information on secondary condition for February 2009 is not available due to a number of transitional recording issues; the impact of these issues is thought to be reducing over time. (2) Not available. Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. Figures are adjusted to be consistent with the overall caseload from the WPLS. 3. Figures do not include people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 4. The preferred data source for benefit statistics is 100% Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. However, the 5% sample data is generally the preferred source for analysis on disabling condition as information is more complete for disabling condition on the 5% sample. (Some recipients of DLA who transferred from the AA system may not have been allocated a specific disabling condition code. This problem can be corrected on the sample data but not on the WPLS data. The number of cases affected is decreasing over time). 5. A diagnosed medical condition does not mean that someone is automatically entitled to DLA. Entitlement is dependent on an assessment of how much help someone needs with personal care and/or mobility because of their disability. These statistics are only collected for administrative purposes. Source:  DWP Information Directorate: Sample data (5%).

Employment and Support Allowance

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans his Department has to ensure that people in receipt of employment and support allowance in the work related activity group whose conditions have deteriorated over 12 months whilst on the benefit are identified and moved into the support group.

Chris Grayling: There are two ways in which changes to a claimant's health can lead to a change in the amount of benefit.
	Firstly, claimants who are entitled to employment and support allowance (including those in the Work Related Activity Group) will be reassessed at regular intervals through the work capability assessment process.
	Secondly, claimants can declare a change in their condition which could affect their entitlement to benefit and will be also reassessed through the work capability assessment process. Where such arrangements are followed and a decision maker decides that there is sufficient evidence, claimants will be moved to the support group.

Industrial Accidents: Construction

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people employed in the construction industry in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK died in the workplace in each year since 1997.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is as follows.
	
		
			 Fatal injuries to workers in the construction industry  (1)   as reported to all enforcing authorities 1997-98 to 2010-11  (2) 
			  South Tyneside  (3) North East  (4) Great Britain  (5) 
			  Employees Self-employed Employees Self-employed Employees Self-employed 
			 1997-98 — — 2 1 58 22 
			 1998-99 — — — — 47 18 
			 1999-2000 — — — — 61 20 
			 2000-01 — — 1 — 73 32 
			 2001-02 — — 8 — 60 20 
			 2002-03 — — 3 — 56 14 
			 2003-04 — 1 4 1 52 19 
			 2004-05 — — 1 1 55 14 
			 2005-06 — — 3 1 43 17 
			 2006-07  — 1 1 54 25 
			 2007-08 — — — — 53 19 
			 2008-09 — — 2 1 32 20 
			 2009-10 — — 1 — 29 12 
			 2010-11(2) — — 1 1 32 18 
			 (1) Statistics for the years 1997-98 to 2000-01 are identified by Standard Industrial Classification 1992 (SIC92) Section F—Construction. For the years 2001-02 and on, statistics are presented on the new basis of 'SIC 2007'. Changes of this nature occur periodically, to reflect how the industrial composition of the economy changes over time. (2) Provisional. (3) Identified by local authority code 4520 'South Tyneside'. (4) Identified by Government Office Region and includes South Tyneside LA. (5) Includes North East Government Office Region.

Jobcentre Plus

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential for data sharing between Jobcentre Plus and organisations seeking to link jobseekers with mentoring and employment search support; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions is working with the Department for Business, Skills and Innovation to develop a more streamlined service for the delivery of work-related training and careers advice.
	The Social Security (Claims and Information) (Amendment) Regulations 2010, using new powers introduced by the Welfare Reform Act 2009, allow the proportionate sharing of data between organisations that are supporting Jobcentre Plus claimants with their employment, skills and training needs.
	The regulations remove the need for repeated informed consent to share detailed claimant information. This will support increased joint working between Jobcentre Plus personal advisors, Next Step careers advisers and training providers to bring together the training, mentoring and employment support offered to jobseekers.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has taken to ensure that people with a learning disability are able to use easy-read and accessible forms when applying for (a) jobseeker's allowance, (b) employment and support allowance and (c) other benefits.

Chris Grayling: The majority of claims are now taken either online or by telephone, rather than using paper forms. The Department's staff have guidance about how to support people with learning disabilities, with our main approaches being to ensure they use the phone where suitable, allow them to break the call into smaller pieces if they have difficulty concentrating for long periods, or staff offer a one-to-one interview to support them if the telephone is not suitable. The most vulnerable can also opt to use a third party or intermediary to help them.

Universal Credit: Major Projects Authority

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many reports the Major Projects Authority has completed on the implementation of universal credit; and on what dates these reports were presented to him.

Chris Grayling: The Major Project Authority is working with the DWP chief operating officer (the senior responsible owner for universal credit) rather than directly with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith).
	In January of this year the Major Project Authority undertook a Starting Gate review on the universal credit programme. The senior responsible owner met with the Major Project Review Group Panel (co-ordinated by MPA) in July and October of this year and will meet with the panel again in December. Subsequent to each meeting the panel have written to the senior responsible owner.
	Ahead of the next panel the Major Project Authority have arranged for a programme assessment review of the universal credit programme to take place.

Departmental Consultants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 19 October 2011, Official Report, column 1014W, on departmental procurement, how many contracts involved the provision of consultancy services; how many contracts involved the employment of a consultant within his Department; whether any such consultants remained in employment on the latest date for which information is available; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many full-time equivalent staff are employed on consultancy contracts in his Department; and if he will make a statement;

Jonathan Djanogly: The information is as follows.
	(1) The answer given on 19 October 2011, Official Report, column 1014W, did not include data in relation to consultancy contracts. The Ministry of Justice has awarded the following consultancy contracts directly to small, medium and large businesses since May 2010:
	
		
			  Number of contracts awarded since May 2010 Number of contracts currently in place as of 31 October 2011 
			 Small 14 4 
			 Medium 2 1 
			 Large 17 7 
		
	
	None of the above contracts involve the employment of a consultant. They are procurement contracts let directly with businesses for the purposes of delivering consultancy services.
	(2) There are no full-time equivalent staff employed on consultancy contracts.

Offensive Weapons: Sentencing

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many individuals aged 18 years or younger (a) were prosecuted and (b) received custodial sentences for carrying a bladed or pointed article in a public place in North Wales in each year since 2006.

Crispin Blunt: Persons aged 18 and under proceeded against at magistrates courts, found guilty and sentenced to immediate custody at all courts for carrying a blade or pointed article in a public place in North Wales Police Force Area, from 2006 to 2010 (latest available) can be viewed in the table.
	Court proceedings data for 2011 are planned for publication in spring 2012.
	
		
			 Persons aged 18 and under proceeded against at magistrates courts and sentenced to immediate custody at all courts for carrying a blade or pointed article in a public place, North Wales police force area, 2006-10  (1,2,3) 
			 Statute Offence  Proceeded against Found guilty Sentenced Immediate custody Other sentences  (4) 
			 Criminal Justice Act 1988, S.139 Having an article with a blade or point in a public place 2006 21 18 18 3 15 
			   2007 17 16 15 2 13 
			   2008 20 17 17 6 11 
			   2009 18 18 17 5 12 
			   2010 14 12 12 1 11 
			 (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) The figures presented here have been taken from the Ministry of Justices court proceedings database and are a record of the sentences passed in courts, they will differ from the figures published in the 'Knife Crime Sentencing—Quarterly brief’ which are drawn from the Police National Computer. (4) Other sentences include: absolute and conditional discharge, fine, community sentences, suspended sentence, otherwise dealt with. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice

Prisoners' Release

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders have committed (a) murder, (b) rape, (c) sexual offences and (d) other violent offences after being released from prison early and where those offenders were committed within the period of that offenders' original custodial sentence in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: Legislation requires that most prisoners serving a normal determinate custodial sentence must be released automatically at the halfway point of their sentence. Release at this point is not early as there is no discretion to hold prisoners beyond it; section 244 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 confers a duty on the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, the right hon. and learned Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), to release fixed term prisoners as soon as they have served one-half of the sentence. For those serving 12 months or more, the second half of the sentence is served in the community under licensed supervision and offenders are liable to be recalled to continue serving the sentence in prison if they fail to comply with their licence conditions.
	Two schemes have operated during the past five years that have allowed prisoners to be released earlier than statutorily required at the half-way point of sentence. The Home Detention Curfew (HDC) scheme has operated under legislation since 1999. Prisoners who meet the eligibility criteria and are risk assessed as suitable may be released on HDC up to 135 days before the half-way point of sentence. Table 1 shows the number of proven violent and sexual offences committed by offenders while on HDC for the years 2004-05 to 2008-09, the latest period for which figures are available.
	In the method used to derive these figures an offender is considered to have reoffended if, during their period on HDC, he or she committed an offence that was recorded on the Police National Computer (PNC) as resulting in a caution or conviction; for the offence to count, the caution or conviction has to be given within nine months of the end of the quarter in which the offender started on HDC. For this reason, some offences committed during an HDC period which resulted in a conviction beyond this nine month period do not appear in the table.
	Further details of reoffending while on HDC can be found in Chapter 2.2 of the Compendium of Reoffending Statistics and Analysis, published in November 2010:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/publications/statistics-and-data/mojstats/compendium-of-reoffending-statistics-and-analysis.pdf
	To put these figures in context, in the last five years for which data are available 87% of prisoners have completed their period of HDC successfully and only 5% reoffended while on HDC.
	The End of Custody Licence (ECL) was an administrative scheme, introduced as a temporary measure on 29 June 2007. It was withdrawn in March 2010 and the last ECL release was on 9 April 2010. Under ECL, prisoners who met the eligibility criteria serving sentences between four weeks and four years were released under temporary licence for the final 18 days of the custodial element of the sentence. There are no plans to reintroduce ECL.
	Details of proven offending on ECL are unavailable but figures on alleged reoffending on ECL are found in table 2.
	These figures have been drawn from the police's administrative IT system, the police national computer, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.
	
		
			 Table 1: Proven reoffences committed while on home detention curfew by offence category in England and Wales, 2004-05 to 2008-09 
			 Number of offences 
			 Offence Category 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 
			 Violence against the person 47 50 40 60 43 
			 Sexual offences 2 0 0 1 0 
			 Other types of offence 1,484 1,126 782 759 847 
			 All offence 1,533 1,176 822 820 890 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Alleged reoffending by offenders on ECL 
			  Number of alleged offences (by offenders during their period of ECL), as notified to NOMS by   26   April and cumulative totals 
			  1 March to 26 April 2010 1 January to 26 April 2010 1 January to 31 December 2009 1 January-  to 31 December 2008 29 June-  to 31 December 2007 
			 Number of offenders 17 68 454 497 215 
			 Alleged further offences 22 81 584 658 301 
			 Notes: 1. The total of reasons for recall is not the same as the total number of decisions to recall because offenders can be recalled for more than one reason. 2. Alleged re-offending may lead to recall of the offender even though, at the point of the recall, the offender may not have formally been charged. 3 The offender's behaviour indicates an increased risk of reoffending or harm. 4 The number of offenders notified to NOMS as having allegedly reoffended during their period on ECL. Data Sources and Quality: All of the figures above are as notified to NOMS and may therefore be subject to inaccuracies. There may be recalls, reoffending, further offences, offenders returned to custody, and offenders released not in accordance with the scheme, some of which may not have been notified to us.

War Memorials

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans his Department has to provide support for the protection and preservation of war memorials.

John Penrose: I have been asked to reply.
	This Department's Memorial Grant Scheme makes grants equivalent to VAT incurred by charities and faith groups in erecting, maintaining or repairing public memorials, including war memorials. Since the start of the scheme in 2005-06, over £1.8 million has been given out to support memorials across the UK.
	English Heritage and the Wolfson Foundation, in association with the War Memorials Trust, provide grants for the repair and conservation of free-standing war memorials in England. These grants help with the upkeep and repair of war memorials. To date, over £757,000 has been offered under the scheme.
	English Heritage has also produced the guidance leaflet, “Advice on Maintenance of War Memorials”, in association with the War Memorials Trust. The guidance is aimed at owners and custodians and gives advice on how to make an assessment of condition. The leaflet is downloadable from the Historic Environment Local Management (HELM) website.
	Over the last 17 years Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded more than £17.5 million to over 40 projects across the UK that have specifically included the conservation and interpretation of war memorials. These range from small scale repair projects to village war memorials, to larger scale memorial park restoration projects.

Armed Conflict: Children

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will consider amending the interpretative declaration on the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict to prohibit the participation in hostilities of soldiers aged under 18 in any circumstances.

Jeremy Browne: There are currently no plans to amend our interpretative declaration on the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict.
	The interpretive declaration is a statement to clarify the Government's understanding of its obligations. We believe that our policies on under-18s are robust and compliant with national and international law. Naturally we will continue to keep them under review.

Working Tax Credit

Joan Walley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has any plans to remove the qualifying age barrier for working tax credit; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: In general, workers without children must be aged over 25 and work 30 hours a week, in order to qualify for the working tax credit. There are exceptions, for example, workers with disabilities qualify at 16 hours. There are no plans to change the age at which people can qualify for the working tax credit.
	However, the new universal credit, introduced over two Parliaments, will replace the current complex system of means-tested working-age benefits with a simple streamlined payment. The universal credit will extend in-work support to groups such as under 25s who cannot get working tax credit currently, which will help to address the concerns you have outlined. The first new claims to universal credit are expected to begin from 2013 and full migration is due in 2017.

Departmental Procurement

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many contracts his Department has advertised on the Contracts Finder website in each month since May 2010; what the value was of such contracts; what proportion were awarded to (a) third sector organisations and (b) small businesses; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: Details of the contracts the Cabinet Office has advertised on Contracts Finder each month since May 2010 are in the following table:
	
		
			 Month advertised Details of contract Supplier Is supplier an SME or third sector organisation? Value (£) 
			 March 2011 Off the shelf software solution for the automated storage, analysis and reporting of strategic Government contracts MarkLogic Corporation SME 24,000 
			      
			 April 2011 Whitehall social mobility internship programme Social Mobility Foundation SME and TSO 37,913 
			      
			 April 2011 Provision of accelerated solution environment workshops on a pro bono basis CapGemini No Pro bono 
			   Atos Origin No Pro bono 
			   IBM No Pro bono 
			   Sapient Nitro No Pro bono 
			      
			 April 2011 Business Travel Services Contract not yet awarded — — 
			      
			 April 2011 Office supplies Banner Business Services Ltd No 200,000,000 
			   XMA Limited No 200,000,000 
			      
			 May 2011 Medals and insignia framework Spink No (1)1,200,000 
			   Worcestershire Medals Services No (1)— 
			   AB Sporrong No (1)— 
			   Thomas Fattorni No (1)— 
			   The Royal Mint No (1)— 
			   Toye Kenning and Spencer No (1)— 
			      
			 June 2011 Framework agreement for daily and non-daily metered gas supplies and additional services, goods and works Contract not yet awarded — — 
			      
			 July 2011 Verbatim transcription services for the Boundary Commission for England Merrill Legal Services No 93,258 
			      
		
	
	
		
			 July 2011 E-enablement—two externally hosted technical solutions which support the authority in the management of central procurement Contract not yet awarded — — 
			      
			 August 2011 Public Services Network (PSN) connectivity framework Contract not yet awarded — — 
			      
			 September 2011 Public Services Network (PSN) telecommunications services Contract not yet awarded — — 
			 (1) Indicates brace—total estimated value of contract 
		
	
	The contracts for office supplies are call-off contracts for the whole of Government, and therefore the value provided is an estimate.
	The medals and insignia framework has six separate suppliers covering 49 separate lots. The value provided is an estimate for the overall contract.
	As well as contracts advertised on Contracts Finder, Cabinet Office has published details of a further 19 contracts awarded to SMEs. These include contracts competed through pre-existing frameworks and therefore the requirement was not originally advertised on Contracts Finder. In total, 21 out of 48 contracts published on Contracts Finder have been awarded to SMEs, which represents 43.75% of total contracts awarded where the details have been published on Contracts Finder.

Departmental Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people were in possession of a security pass for his main Departmental headquarters, including multi-site headquarters and not including staff or contractors, in each month since May 2010.

Francis Maude: A total of 724 security passes have been issued for access to the main Cabinet Office London estate to others not including staff or contractors since May 2010. Details are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2010  
			 May 59 
			 June 32 
			 July 38 
			 Aug 35 
			 Sept 36 
			 Oct 35 
			 Nov 32 
			 Dec 34 
			 Total 301 
			   
			 2011  
			 Jan 45 
			 Feb 35 
			 Mar 39 
			 Apr 52 
			 May 42 
			 June 51 
			 July 46 
			 Aug 30 
			 Sept 53 
			 Oct 30 
			 Total 423 
		
	
	These figures exclude one day visitor passes.
	In addition the Cabinet Office has entered into reciprocal arrangements with some other Departments whereby staff can have unescorted access to each other Departments' head quarters without the need for an additional pass.

Cancer: Drugs

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to review the (a) use in the NHS and (b) value for money of (i) bevacizumab (Avastin), (ii) cetuzimab (Erbitux), (iii) lapatinib (Tyverb) and (iv) trastuzumab (Herceptin).

Simon Burns: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published, or is developing, technology appraisal guidance on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of each of these drugs for a number of indications. NICE'S guidance is available on its website at:
	www.nice.org.uk
	Information on the use of selected medicines appraised and recommended by NICE in the national health service is published annually by the Health and Social Care Information Centre.
	The latest report includes information on the use of trastuzumab (Herceptin). The report “Use of NICE-appraised medicines in the NHS in England—2009, Experimental statistics” has been placed in the Library and is available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/webfiles/publications/007_Primary_Care/niceappmed0910/NICE_bulletin_2009.pdf
	The next report is expected to be published in 2012.
	In addition, the NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care report, “Hospital Prescribing—England 2010”, contains estimates of the costs of drugs positively appraised by NICE and used in hospitals including cetuximab (Erbitux) and trastuzumab. A copy of the report has been placed in the Library and is available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/webfiles/publications/007_Primary_Care/Prescribing/Hospital%20Prescribing%202010/Hospital_prescribing_bulletin_England_2010.pdf

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Health Services

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration his Department has given to national commissioning of treatment for patients diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Paul Burstow: No decisions have been taken on which specific services will be directly commissioned by the NHS Commissioning Board. The Health and Social Care Bill proposes that the NHS Commissioning Board should take responsibility for commissioning specialised services for people with rare conditions from April 2013. Clinical Commissioning Groups will commission most other services on behalf of patients.
	Epidemiological data suggests a population prevalence of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) of at least 0.2 to 0.4%. This means that
	services for people with CFS/ME are not rare enough to fall within existing specialised commissioning arrangements for rare conditions.

Departmental Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what level of security vetting is required for the post of (a) head of communications, (b) deputy head of communications and (c) head of press office in his Department; and if he will list each person who has held these posts since May 2010;
	(2)  what level of security vetting is required for (a) grade six and seven, or equivalent, press officers and (b) ministerial private secretaries in his Department;
	(3)  what level of security vetting is required for (a) special advisers and (b) ministerial-appointed policy advisers in his Department; and if he will list each person who has held these posts since May 2010;
	(4)  what company or Government service is used to undertake security vetting at (a) counter terrorist check, (b) security check and (c) developed vetting level in his Department.

Simon Burns: Information on vetting can be found in the booklet “HMG Personnel Security Controls” available on the Cabinet Office website at:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/hmg-personnel-security-controls
	A copy has been placed in the Library.
	The booklet describes the circumstances in which a post may require the holder to be the subject of national security vetting checks. It would not be appropriate to confirm which specific posts within the Department are the subject of vetting, as this could highlight who has access to sensitive material and be used for targeting purposes.
	The following individuals have held posts in the Communications Directorate since May 2010:
	Head of Communications: Sian Jarvis until September 2011. Post currently vacant; and
	Head of News (press office) and a deputy head of communications: James Sorene (until January 2011); Elisabeth Vanderstock (acting) (to June 2011) and Tim Jones (to date).
	All security vetting for the Department is carried out by Defence Business Services: National Security Vetting.

NHS: Disclosure of Information

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent steps he has taken to protect whistle-blowers in the NHS from reprisal; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 provides protection in law for whistleblowers where they suffer detriment on the part of the employer or where the employer fails to take adequate steps after a concern is raised and the NHS constitution already includes a staff right to healthy and safe working conditions and an environment free from harassment, bullying or violence.
	On 18 October 2011, the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), announced steps to highlight within the constitution:
	an expectation that staff should raise concerns at the earliest opportunity;
	a pledge that National Health Service organisations should support staff when raising concerns; and
	clarity around the existing legal right for staff to raise concerns about safety, malpractice or other wrong doing without suffering any detriment.
	The changes, which follow a public consultation earlier this year, form part of a series of measures surrounding whistleblowing.

Social Services: Learning Disability

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on each category of services for adults with learning disabilities in each year since 2000-01; and how much and what proportion of the (a) adult social care and (b) NHS budget has been spent on people with a learning disability in each year since 2000.

Paul Burstow: Data on national health service expenditure on “learning difficulties” are not available in the format requested.
	The following table shows the total spend on the purchase of “learning difficulties” care by commissioners. The source of the figures are the NHS (England) Summarised Accounts for each year since 2000-01.
	
		
			  NHS Revenue Expenditure: England  (1 )  (£000) Total spend on the purchase of “learning difficulties” by commissioners (£000) Percentage of total NHS expenditure spent on people with a “learning difficulties” 
			 2010-11 98,893,979 2,583,433 2.6 
			 2009-10 95,599,430 2,497,197 2.6 
			 2008-09 90,743,681 2,428,036 2.7 
			 2007-08 86,381,965 2,363,451 2.7 
			 2006-07 78,467,927 2,048,645 2.6 
			 2005-06 74,167,512 1,999,137 2.7 
			 2004-05 66,871,420 1,682,349 2.5 
			 2003-04 61,864,664 1,593,718 2.6 
			 2002-03 51,934,596 1,432,443 2.8 
			 2001-02 47,289,280 1,487,492 3.2 
			 2000-01 42,685,992 1,502,552 3.5 
			 (1) Expenditure figures from 1999 to 2000 to 2002-03 are on a Stage 1 resource budgeting basis. Expenditure figures from 2003-04 to 2009-10 are on a Stage 2 resource budgeting basis. Expenditure figures from 2009-10 to 2010-11 are on an aligned basis. Figures from 2003-04 include a technical adjustment for trust depreciation. Notes: 1. These figures cannot be disaggregated further, e.g. by age group or by category of spend. 2. It should be noted that figures are for secondary health care only; we have no information relating to primary health care expenditure on learning difficulties. 
		
	
	A table has been placed in the Library that shows the net current social care expenditure on adults with a learning disability between 2000-01 and 2009-10.

Adoption: Children in Care

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of looked-after children were placed for adoption within 12 months of being identified for adoption by each local authority in England in each of the last five years.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 31 October 2011
	The proportion of looked-after children who were placed for adoption within 12 months of the local authority's decision that the child should be placed for adoption, for each local authority in England for the period 2006 to 2010, is contained in the Statistical First Release, Children Looked After by Local Authorities in England (including adoption and care leavers)–year ending 31 March 2010. This was published on 30 September 2010. The information is given in table 12 under the excel link "Tables containing Local Authority indicators, at Local Authority level" on the release's web page at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000960/index.shtml
	A copy of this table has also been placed in the House Libraries.
	This information will be updated for 2011 on 30 November 2011. It will take the form of an additional table (Table LAE2) to follow the recent Statistical Release, Children Looked After by Local Authorities in England (including adoption and care leavers)—year ending 31 March 2011. It will be published at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001026/index.shtml

Children In Care

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what reforms to the care system he is considering as a result of suggestions made to his Department's Tell Tim website.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 1 November 2011
	Many children in care, adopters and foster carers have made valuable suggestions via the Tell Tim website, about how to improve the support provided to looked after children and their carers. These have informed policy development and will continue to do so. The responses as a whole have highlighted the wide variation in the way that local authorities provide services. On 31 October the Department published Children in Care and Adoption Performance tables which show, against 15 key indicators, how each local authority is performing. These data are intended to drive local debate and discussion and to help weaker councils to learn from the best. On the same day the Prime Minister launched a national debate on children in care and adoption. Suggestions received via the Tell Tim website will be considered alongside others received over the next few months as part of this debate. We are continuing to promote the facility through Children in Care Councils, and I am attending several regional meetings, to further inform our policy.

Departmental Assets

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assets with a value of £250,000 or more his Department has bought since May 2010; for what purpose; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: The Department has not purchased any individual assets over £250,000 since May 2010. However, the following expenditure has occurred for 'assets under construction' for which projects had previously been commissioned and completed since May 2010.
	
		
			 Assets under construction Brief purpose of asset Expenditure (£000) 
			 eChannels eChannels delivers the Department with a single external delivery capability across multi digital channels.' For the end users it gives a single point of access to Departmental content and applications that are relevant to the target audience. 1,000 
			    
			 Electronic Document and Record Management System (EDRMS) EDRMS was rolled out across the Department in 2010, as part of a drive to improve how the Department manages and shares information internally while meeting Records Management commitments. The system provides staff with 'workplaces'—private online areas to store, share and edit documents and declare records. Workplaces ensure that only one version of a document is available at any one time (thus ensuring that narrative and analyses are always 'live') and provides an automatic version history with a reliable audit trail to track changes. 1,000 
			    
			 St Pauls Place, Sheffield—fit out costs The expenditure related to the internal fit-out of a new building, (an empty shell when bought), prior to occupation by 800 staff. The work was completed by early June 2010. 2,500 
		
	
	In addition to the assets above, there may be some IT equipment which, if bulked up, may exceed the £250,000 limit; these have not been included because individually they are below the Department's capital threshold. To request details from all officials would incur disproportionate costs.

Departmental Pay

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many civil servants in his Department received a pay rise other than by promotion in the last two years; and what the average increase was in each such year.

Tim Loughton: In 2010/11, 2,551 of staff received a pay rise covering the last year of a 2008/10 pay deal. The Department then entered a two-year pay freeze in 2011/12. 170 staff on full-time equivalent earnings of under £21,000 a year received a pay rise of £250 in 2011/12.
	The average increase for 2010/11 was £1,404 and £250 for 2011/12.

Public Sector

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department has taken to encourage the development of public service mutuals in its area of responsibility; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: We have looked closely at the option to mutualise the provision of IT services across the sector and believe that the idea has considerable merit. We are, however, in the middle of a significant change programme to reform the department and its ALBs to improve effectiveness of delivery and reduce costs. We intend therefore to fully evaluate the mutualisation option once the new sector landscape is in place.

Business: Finance

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding allocated under the Small Business Research Initiative has been spent to date; how many small and medium-sized companies have been awarded contracts under the scheme; and what marketing his Department has carried out of the scheme.

Mark Prisk: Since the Small Business research Initiative (SBRI) was relaunched by the Technology Strategy Board in April 2009, 639 contracts to the value of £43.368 million have been placed with business. Of these contracts, 492 (77%) contracts with a total value of £35,258,184 (81 % of contracts placed) have been awarded to small and medium enterprises (SMEs). BIS does not hold data centrally on actual spending under the programme, as the contracts are issued and monitored by the Departments and agencies that have placed the contracts.
	There is currently a cross-Government freeze on marketing; however SBRI is being promoted by the Technology Strategy Board and the public sector organisations using SBRI through a number of different channels, including the web, press notices, knowledge transfer networks, trade associations and other relevant networks, Contract Finder and events run by a range of stakeholders.

Business: Training

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will take to steps to facilitate business-to-business mentoring for the purposes of encouraging growth in small and medium-sized enterprises.

Mark Prisk: I am delighted to inform the hon. Member that we are already taking steps to facilitate business-to-business mentoring for the purposes of encouraging growth in small and medium-sized enterprises.
	“Bigger Better Business” set out a vision for a new system of business information and support, including a commitment to develop a network of at least 40,000 experienced business mentors. In July:
	www.Mentorsme.co.uk
	Britain's first online mentoring gateway, was launched by the British Bankers Association (BBA), providing a single point of access for those seeking mentoring and those seeking to be mentors, covering the whole of the UK. Mentorsme now provides access to almost 60 mentoring organisations and 11,000 mentors and this number continues to grow.
	We are also working with the Small Firms Enterprise Development Initiative (SFEDI), mentoring organisations, trade and business representative bodies and private business to encourage more experienced business people to sign up to mentor new and growing businesses.
	I hope that I can rely on the hon. Member to help us in promoting the benefits of mentoring within his own constituency and encourage more volunteer business mentors to come forward.

Departmental Procurement

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what progress his Department has made in eliminating pre-qualification questionnaires for procurements with a value of under £100,000.

Edward Davey: BIS policy is to use existing frameworks wherever possible. This policy applies to procurements both above and below £100,000. Procurements made under frameworks do not include a pre-qualification stage.
	BIS, in consultation with the Cabinet Office, has significantly streamlined its tendering documentation relating to supplier suitability used in a major current “Open”
	Official Journal of the European Union
	(OJEU) procurement.
	This streamlined documentation will serve as the basis for standard processes and documentation, not including use of a pre-qualification questionnaire, for procurements with a value of under £100,000.

London International College

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to investigate complaints that the London International College accepted fees from prospective students and did not return them when it was removed from the UK Border Agency sponsor list.

David Willetts: The London International College is a privately-funded education business and not a statutory, publicly-funded further education college. Such businesses are not required to register with this Department, neither are they inspected by the Government's school and college inspection body, Ofsted. We are not, therefore, able to intervene in the contractual arrangements between prospective students and the college.
	As the college is run as a business, UK Local Trading Standards officers or the Consumer Rights section of Directgov will be able to offer disappointed students information and advice on ways they could recover the monies owed to them.
	It is unfortunate that some private colleges fail to meet the standards we expect of UK educational institutions. However, the UK Border Agency has introduced new requirements for private colleges that recruit international students which will ensure high standards of education and compliance with immigration procedures, including the requirement for all such colleges to be rated as Highly Trusted.

Summertime: Religious Practice

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on the religiously observant of the provisions of the Daylight Saving Bill.

Edward Davey: The Daylight Saving Bill, as the Government intend to seek to amend it, would have no immediate effect. In the first instance it simply requires a review of costs and benefits, to enable all the relevant interests, including those of people who are religiously observant, to be properly assessed and thereafter taken into account if a change is proposed. It is only right that there be a proper examination of the likely effects for people throughout the UK before such a significant change can occur.
	Our initial view is that a change in time could have an adverse impact on the ease with which some individuals may be able to observe their religion; there might be potential economic consequences as well. It is also is possible that a change might have benefits for some people who are religiously observant. The matter needs to be studied in depth and I can confirm that the report which would be prepared prior to considering whether there should be a trial advancing the clocks would, among other things, include a review of the likely impact on religious observance. The findings on this issue would be taken fully into account by the Government when considering whether to seek to exercise the power to have a trial. In the event of a trial taking place, the effects of the change, including upon religious observance, would also be monitored and taken into account in the decision on whether or not to make the arrangements permanent.

Departmental Travel

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much her Department has spent on first class travel by (a) air, (b) boat and (c) train since May 2010.

Norman Baker: First class rail travel expenditure information for DFT(c) and three of its agencies is contained in the following table. Two agencies, VOSA and GCDA, report no first class travel. The two remaining agencies, MCA and VCA, do not record class of travel, and the information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	In September 2011, £638 was spent on first class air travel but no other first class air or boat travel was undertaken between May 2010 and September 2011.
	DFT(c) figures include RAIB from April 2011 onwards. Prior to that date RAIB first class travel was not recorded centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 D  F  T first class travel, 1 May 2010 to 30 September 2011—Rail 
			 £ 
			  Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 August-September 2011 
			 DFTc 54,965 16,319 24,682 19,825 23,123 9,216 
			 DSA 2,580 90 137 136 0 156 
			 DVLA 13,707 0 0 0 0 0 
			 HA 372,498 7,693 1,953 2,673 1,531 1,308 
			 Total 443,750 24,102 26,772 22,634 24,654 10,680

Railways: Job Creation

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information her Department holds on the (a) number, (b) type and (c) likely duration of jobs in the UK which will be created by (i) the Intercity Express programme and (ii) Thameslink rolling stock programme.

Theresa Villiers: The staffing composition required to fulfil the named rolling stock contracts is a matter for individual manufacturers to decide.
	However, with regard to:
	(i) the preferred bidder for the Intercity Express Programme, Agility Trains, have recently confirmed that they expect their new assembly plant in Newton Aycliffe to generate over 700 jobs in the local area, with further opportunities expected in related supply chains;
	(ii) the preferred bidder, Siemens plc with Cross London Trains, have stated that work on the Thameslink rolling stock contract could create up to 2,000 new jobs in the UK, including up to 600 highly skilled roles relating to the manufacture and assembly of components.

Feed-in Tariffs

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 31 October 2011, on the Feed-In Tariff scheme, what assessment he has made of the effects of his proposed changes on (a) levels of employment in the solar power industry, (b) supply chain opportunities for UK companies and (c) the international competitiveness of the UK solar power industry; and what estimate he has made of the number of businesses affected by his proposals.

Gregory Barker: The Feed-in Tariffs scheme has helped create business and job opportunities in green sectors of the economy. Estimates of the scale of this impact in the future are uncertain because they depend on factors such as how many installations will come forward, installation times and how many associated supply chain jobs are created. Our rough estimates based on installations scenarios suggest that there could be around 1,000 to 10,000 gross additional jobs (full-time equivalent) in this sector in the three years to 2014-15 under the proposals published by DECC for consultation on 31 October. These estimates relate to jobs within the PV sector, rather than the overall economy-wide employment level.
	The proposed tariffs are intended to provide a rate of return of approximately 4.5-5%, in line with what was intended at the launch of the FITs scheme. By allowing future solar PV uptake at an affordable support level, while still providing attractive rates of return in the current investment climate, FITs will ensure that businesses installing domestic solar PV remain viable at a time when there is spare capacity in the economy which cannot readily be redeployed. These firms will then have the opportunity to position themselves to install some of the energy efficiency measures under the Green Deal/ECO once this policy has been fully introduced (it is currently expected to launch in autumn 2012).
	We have not made an assessment in relation to the international competitiveness of the UK solar power industry.

Natural Gas

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the potential contribution of shale gas in meeting energy needs in the next decade; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: Last year DECC contacted a number of academic institutions, NGOs and private businesses to request further evidence to help inform the Department's views on the prospects for global unconventional gas production. A range of factors make unconventional gas more costly and harder to access in regions outside of North America.
	Given the uncertainties around when, and the degree to which, unconventional gas will be produced outside North America, DECC continues to take a cautious view of the implications for gas security of supply. We will be monitoring progress closely.
	Looking at domestic potential, a British Geological Survey study in 2010 estimated that if UK shales were similar to those in the USA they could yield some 150 billion cubic metres of gas, equivalent to roughly two years' of UK demand. The BGS is currently undertaking more detailed work for the Department which will also take into account the recent drilling results of Cuadrilla in Lancashire. However little drilling has taken place and commercial production of shale gas has not been proven, so it is not yet possible to make a reliable estimate of recoverable reserves.
	Overall therefore it is too early to be able to assess the potential contribution of shale gas in meeting energy needs in the next decade.

Government Procurement Card

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Burton of 20 July 2011, Official Report, column 1102W, on the Government Procurement Card, which of the transactions under the heading of (a) restaurants and bars and (b) leisure activities in the Government Procurement Card transaction data of (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08, were made using cards held by the private office of (A) each Minister in his Department and (B) the permanent secretary.

Bob Neill: The following transactions were made under the heading of "restaurants and bars" and "leisure activities" using cards held by ministerial and the permanent secretary's private offices in this Department in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08:
	
		
			 2006-07 
			 Transaction date Merchant Town Spend category Transaction amount (£) 
			 5 April 2006 Zippi London Restaurants and Bars 19.30 
			 6 April 2006 Tantric Jazz Bristol Restaurants and Bars 161.10 
			 12 April 2006 Refreshment Dpt Micros London SW1P Restaurants and Bars 18.25 
			 19 April 2006 Refreshment Dpt Micros London SW1P Restaurants and Bars 18.00 
			 24 April 2006 The National Club Toronto Restaurants and Bars 336.76 
			 16 June 2006 House of Lords Refr Dept Westminster Restaurants and Bars 104.35 
			 19 June 2006 Aqua Riva Restaurant Vancouver Restaurants and Bars 38.13 
			 6 July 2006 Oceanarium Café Bournemouth Leisure Activities 7.09 
			 6 July 2006 Red Eventful Cuisine Bournemouth Restaurants and Bars 11.00 
			 6 July 2006 Red Eventful Cuisine Bournemouth Restaurants and Bars 4.60 
			 22 August 2006 Oriental Buffet Restaurant Burnley Restaurants and Bars 24.90 
			 21 September 2006 Rothley Court Hotel Rothley Restaurants and Bars 223.15 
			 6 October 2006 The White Hart Inn Oldham Restaurants and Bars 203.80 
			 6 October 2006 Elite Ravintola Helsinki Restaurants and Bars 204.87 
			 13 October 2006 Refreshment Dpt Micros London SW1P Restaurants and Bars 269.40 
			 13 October 2006 House of Lords Refr Department Westminster Restaurants and Bars 47.95 
			 15 October 2006 JW Marriott Hotel Shanghai Shanghai Restaurants and Bars 3.86 
			 23 November 2006 Starbucks Coffee Co London Restaurants and Bars 2.89 
			 26 November 2006 Pasta Pizza Bel Canto 39 Madrid Restaurants and Bars 11.51 
			 4 December 2006 Mango Tree London Restaurants and Bars 175.00 
			 17 January 2007 The Cinnamon Club London Restaurants and Bars 84.00 
			 31 January 2007 Wetherspoon Express Stansted Restaurants and Bars 2.80 
			 16 February 2007 The Plough Inn Lancaster Restaurants and Bars 17.00 
			 22 February 2007 Mango Tree London Restaurants and Bars -175.00 
			 9 March 2007 Ask Pasta and Pizza London SW1E Restaurants and Bars 23.75 
			 26 March 2007 Refreshment Dpt Micros London SW1P Restaurants and Bars 249.90 
			 29 March 2007 Wagamama Victoria London Restaurants and Bars 118.85 
		
	
	
		
			 29 March 2007 Gruppo Inn The Parks Ltd London SW1A Restaurants and Bars 59.29 
			 30 March 2007 Buffalo Bar & Grill Auckland Restaurants and Bars 36.39 
			 30 March 2007 Sky City AK Ltd Auckland Restaurants and Bars 72.41 
		
	
	
		
			 2007-08 
			 Transaction date Merchant Town Spend category Transaction amount (£) 
			 10 April 2007 Pizza Express 1341 Victoria 1 Restaurants and Bars 30.95 
			 27 April 2007 Refreshment Dpt Micros London SW1P Restaurants and Bars 29.50 
			 20 May 2007 Ground London W4 6551 Restaurants and Bars 21.95 
			 21 May 2007 Wagamama Victoria London Restaurants and Bars 33.65 
			 24 May 2007 Ask Pasta and Pizza London SW1E Restaurants and Bars 47.85 
			 22 June 2007 Wagamama Victoria Victoria Restaurants and Bars 50.00 
			 28 June 2007 Deliverance Ltd London W12 Restaurants and Bars 17.90 
			 28 June 2007 Deliverance Ltd London W12 Restaurants and Bars 10.45 
			 28 June 2007 Deliverance Ltd London W12 Restaurants and Bars 145.85 
			 28 June 2007 Pizza Express 1341 Victoria 1 Restaurants and Bars 36.50 
			 29 June 2007 Pizza Express 1341 Victoria 1 Restaurants and Bars 111.65 
			 4 July 2007 Pizza Express 1341 Victoria 1 Restaurants and Bars 23.70 
			 17 July 2007 Zizzi BR783 Victoria Restaurants and Bars 53.55 
			 19 July 2007 Zizzi BR783 Victoria Restaurants and Bars 31.60 
			 20 July 2007 Pizza Express 1341 Victoria 1 Restaurants and Bars 58.75 
			 21 July 2007 Starbucks Coffee Co Abbotinch Restaurants and Bars 3.90 
			 7 August 2007 Pitcher & Piano Newcastle Restaurants and Bars 11.90 
			 16 August 2007 White Horse Abingdon Restaurants and Bars 18.35 
			 12 September 2007 Pizza Express 1341 Victoria 1 Restaurants and Bars 33.30 
			 11 October 2007 Pizza Express 1341 Victoria 1 Restaurants and Bars 32.20 
			 22 October 2007 Akbar Balti Restaurant Bradford Restaurants and Bars 39.00 
			 1 November 2007 Costa @ GNER Doncaster Restaurants and Bars 6.55 
			 9 January 2008 Zizzi BR783 Victoria Restaurants and Bars 16.70 
			 27 January 2008 Ritazza Euston Stn Restaurants and Bars 3.10 
			 13 February 2008 Old Star City of Westminster Restaurants and Bars 93.00 
			 20 February 2008 Wagamama Victoria Victoria Restaurants and Bars 63.40 
			 27 February 2008 Costa Waterloo London SE1 Restaurants and Bars 3.05 
			 11 March 2008 Refreshment Dpt Micros London SW1P Restaurants and Bars 61.25 
			 12 March 2008 Refreshment Dpt Micros London SW1P Restaurants and Bars 19.80 
			 13 March 2008 Cafe Gramunken Stockholm Restaurants and Bars 7.63 
			 19 March 2008 Refreshment Dpt Micros London SW1P Restaurants and Bars 9.00 
			 31 March 2008 Wagamama Victoria Victoria Restaurants and Bars 23.45 
		
	
	The Government Procurement Card spend categories depend on how the vendor classifies their business.

Departmental Work Experience

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many unpaid and expenses-only internships (a) his Department and (b) each public body for which he is responsible employed in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development does not run a formal internship programme but some individual arrangements are organised by departments; figures are not held centrally.
	DFiD provided three placements for the Civil Service Whitehall Internship Programme. This programme involved a two-week placement in London for sixth form college level students which took place from 25 July to 5 August 2011.

Developing Countries: Renewable Energy

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his policy is on supporting renewable energy feed-in tariff pilots in developing countries.

Andrew Mitchell: Feed-in tariffs can play a useful part in increasing the access of poor people to clean energy in developing countries. Due to the wide range of contexts in which we operate, the Department for International Development design renewable energy projects on a case by case basis. This enables us to maximise value for money and the results they deliver for the poorest.
	We are willing to consider requests for support for designing and piloting feed-in tariffs in the countries in which we work.

Ethiopia: Overseas Aid

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of the aid his Department provides to Ethiopia is distributed via (a) the Ethiopian Government and (b) non-governmental organisations in that country; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Mitchell: The UK does not provide general budget support to the Government of Ethiopia, UK's support to the Government is ring fenced for use by local government and sector ministries in support of health, education, water, food security and public financial management programmes. Around 6% of UK's aid for Ethiopia in 2010-11 was provided to non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The remainder was disbursed to the United Nations, World Bank and other organisations that deliver development results through NGOs and the Government.
	With the support of these complementary funding approaches from the UK, in the past few years Ethiopia has: halved the incidence of malaria; deployed 32,000 more health extension workers; doubled the immunisation rate; rolled out an innovative social safety net to protect eight million of the most vulnerable people; and put 4 million more children in primary school.

Foreign Aid

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what priorities he has set for the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in respect of improving aid effectiveness in conflict-affected and fragile states.

Andrew Mitchell: Improving aid effectiveness in fragile and conflict affected states is a high priority for the UK at the Fourth High Level Forum. The UK's other priorities are to improve results and transparency of development assistance as a means to improve aid impact.
	The UK strongly supports the so-called 'New Deal' for international engagement in fragile states which will be presented at the High Level Forum. The New Deal is still under negotiation but comprises a set of new goals and commitments to deliver legitimate, inclusive politics and build better security, justice and economic foundations. The New Deal is being negotiated by fragile states themselves working in partnership with donors and civil society.
	The Outcome document is at its third draft stage. The UK continues to push for a strong Outcome Document focusing on the UK priorities of a new deal for fragile and conflict affected states, results and transparency.

Foreign Aid

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the commitments on aid effectiveness in conflict-affected and fragile states in the third draft outcome document for the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness.

Andrew Mitchell: Improving aid effectiveness in fragile and conflict affected states is a high priority for the UK at the Fourth High Level Forum. The UK's other priorities are to improve results and transparency of development assistance as a means to improve aid impact.
	The UK strongly supports the so-called 'New Deal' for international engagement in fragile states which will be presented at the High Level Forum. The New Deal is still under negotiation but comprises a set of new goals and commitments to deliver legitimate, inclusive politics and build better security, justice and economic foundations. The New Deal is being negotiated by fragile states themselves working in partnership with donors and civil society.
	The Outcome document is at its third draft stage. The UK continues to push for a strong Outcome Document focusing on the UK priorities of a new deal for fragile and conflict affected states, results and transparency.

Human Rights: Training

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what training in human rights officials of his Department receive; and whether the rights of children forms a component of such training.

Alan Duncan: All DFID staff are expected to have a basic awareness of issues in human rights. Some advisory group in DFID, such as those for social development and governance, build deeper knowledge, skills and experience in human rights, including children's rights. DFID supports the professional development of staff through access to a range of value for money courses and opportunities. Training is currently provided through an online e-learning course on human rights that supports staff to analyse and use human rights information and apply it to their work. It also ensures that staff are aware of legal obligations and responsibilities under the UK Human Rights Act.

Legal Opinion

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many times his Department has sought advice from external counsel in (a) 2007, (b) 2009, (c) 2010 and (d) the first six months of 2011.

Stephen O'Brien: That information is set out in the following table and reports how many invoices for counsel's fees TSol received in respect of cases where DFID was the client. It also gives the sum of the value of those invoices. It is reported by reference to the financial years when the invoices for counsel's fees were issued (please note I have included 2008-09 even though it was not listed in the PQ).
	
		
			 DFID Count of invoices Sum of value (£) 
			 2007-08 1 658 
			 2008-09 7 6,979 
			 2009-10 12 9,477 
		
	
	
		
			 2010-11 11 15,546 
			 2011(1) 8 7,910 
			 Grand total 39 40,570 
			 (1) To September 2011 
		
	
	Further, I can report that the 39 invoices related to 11 cases.

Overseas Aid

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the three richest countries are to which his Department provides development aid; and whether he plans to reduce the level of assistance provided to those countries.

Andrew Mitchell: In 2010-11, the latest year for which information is available, the three countries in receipt of development assistance from DFID with the highest gross national income per capita were Russia (DFID funding of £1.3 million in 2010-11), Brazil (£0.2 million) and South Africa (£17.4 million). The UK's bilateral development programme in Russia will end as soon as possible. DFID does not currently have a dedicated bilateral programme in Brazil. From 2009 onwards, DFID's Brazil related expenditure has primarily been used to promote a stronger role for Brazil in addressing global development challenges. Of these three countries, South Africa is the only country with a continuing bilateral development programme. South Africa faces substantial development challenges with 13 million people surviving on less than £1 per day and nearly one in five of the adult population living with HIV. A distinctive British bilateral aid programme focussed on HIV and support of private sector development as an engine for growth can make a significant impact. More details on the top priorities and results to be achieved in South Africa can be found at:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Where-we-work/Africa-Eastern--Southern/South-Africa/

Overseas Aid

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what in-country situation analyses were conducted as part of the process of developing his Department's operational plans.

Alan Duncan: In-country situation analyses for operational plans were conducted by DFID's country offices as part of the Bilateral Aid review process in 2010. Each of our country teams was asked to develop a "results offer" which set out what outcomes they could achieve over the next four years. These offers were underpinned by evidence and analysis of the situation in each country. Agreed results formed the basis of the operational plans.

Overseas Aid: Children

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department has a child protection policy.

Alan Duncan: DFID does not have a dedicated child protection policy. However, the coalition Government are strongly committed to working towards children achieving their full potential, as expressed in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
	The convention is a powerful tool for engaging with governments, donors and others on the rights of children and the millennium development goals. We also support the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) who work in over 190 countries in the world to support vulnerable children.

Somalia: Overseas Aid

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent (a) on humanitarian relief for people in and from Somalia and (b) in total in Somalia in (i) the current financial year to date and (ii) in each of the last three financial years.

Andrew Mitchell: During the current crisis, results achieved to date through UK aid for people in and from Somalia include: provision of food for 247,000 people; 490,000 children vaccinated against measles; safe drinking water for 300,000 Somali refugees; tents for 20,000 households in Dadaab Camp in Kenya; shelter and essential household items such as blankets and cooking utensils for 40,000 Somali refugees in Ethiopia. In the current financial year, my Department has spent £74 million on humanitarian relief for Somalis.
	During the last three financial years, results achieved include treatment of 100,000 starving children and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers; provision of clean water to 350,000 people; provision of shelter for 50,000 internally displaced people; and 1.3 million children and women vaccinated. Department for International Development spent £80 million on humanitarian assistance: £29.9 million in 2010; £31.9 million in 2009 and £18.3 million in 2008. The Department has also provided support for Somali refugees through funding to the United Nations' High Commissioner for Refugees as part of their wider programmes in Kenya and Ethiopia.
	So far during the current financial year, some of the results achieved through other aid to Somalia include: an increase in child-birth deliveries attended to by skilled attendants from 9% to 13%; eight peace agreements averting inter-communal and cross-border conflicts, with over 10,000 people benefiting from improved access to services and reduction in civilian casualties; creation of over 200,000 long-term jobs and provision of demand-driven training to 5,700 youth, of which 60% were women. Department for international Development has so far spent £59 million in aid to Somalia the current financial year. The initial approved operational plan budget for Somalia was £44 million. On current projections, the Department expects to spend at least £84.5 million in total this financial year, including humanitarian allocations made in the year. The additional allocations were made in response to the deteriorating humanitarian situation and enhanced needs because of the drought, high food prices and ongoing conflict.
	Over the last three financial years, my Department spent £47.5 million in 2010, £55 million in 2009 and £35.6 million in 2008 as aid to Somalia. See link:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-us/How-we-measure-progress/Aid-Statistics/Statistics-on-International-Development-2011/